One of the most precious commodity in each of our lives is time.  We tend to desire more time to sleep, more time to spend with loved ones, and more time to dwell in our favorite pastimes; however, the many minutes we are granted during each day is concrete. Therefore, we must take back control of our lives, become clear about what we most value and become disciplined about how we spend our most valuable asset.

We, after all, are the only ones who can be either successful or ineffectual when it comes to milking all of the time out of life spending it the way we choose.

Last week, this series began with ideas on how to save more time when it comes to our beauty regimen, so today I’d like to focus on five tips for increasing the quality of work put forth during the daily grind at work or at home due to the maximization of time.

Exercise in the Morning

When, after looking at your daily schedule, you realize you won’t be able to squeeze in your workout, place it at the top of your list. By beginning your day with your run/walk/yoga/etc, you’ll not only kick start your day fueling yourself with energy, but you’ll receive a wave of exhilaration when you walk through the doors at home only to realize you’ve already worked out.

Eliminate the Unnecessary

The emails from businesses you no longer network with, obligations that no longer fit into your priorities or tasks that no longer serve a productive purpose – eliminate them.  By streamlining what you have to do on a daily basis, you open yourself up to becoming more productive and time constrained.  It’s easy to mindlessly go through the routine of daily tasks, but ever so often, take a step back and ask yourself why.

Turn Your Phone Off

Depending upon what you do for a living during the working hours of the day, there might be times that you can, or shouldn’t, have interruptions. Take a bit of the burden off your shoulders and simply turn off your phone, put it some place safe, but away from reach and you might be surprised that by eliminating these simple interruptions, you will work more productively, remain more focused and when you do return to turn on your phone, you can tackle all of your messages at once – saving even more time.

Turn Off Email Notifications

Similar to that of turning off your phone when it would only be a distraction, turn off your email notifications on your computer.  There is something subconsciously distracting about the *ding* that announces a new email has landed.  Try to designate time before work, during a break or whenever it best fits into your schedule to open and respond to the day’s email in one sitting. This will condense how much time you spend dealing with your inbox and save minutes that ultimately add up.

Don’t Wait on Machines

Living in a technologically dependent world, it is expected that we will have to wait a bit for the machines we use on a daily basis to fully power up(depending upon the machine – sometimes for quite some time, sometimes for a brief moment). Whether it be your desktop computer at work, the projector, or the coffee machine, why not save a few precious minutes each morning by turning on the necessary machines first and while you wait, complete a few mundane tasks that need to be done – looking over your schedule, sending off a few email reminders or straightening your desk. In other words, while I’m not an advocate of multi-tasking, this is the one scenario that will stockpile a few minutes so that you aren’t twiddling your thumbs while you wait.

Click here to view the third part of the series and read about more ideas to save time and welcome more quality into your life.